It has long been known that absorbent articles such as disposable diapers with fasteners, pull-on diapers, training pants, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, incontinent briefs, and the like, offer the benefit of receiving and containing urine and other bodily exudates. To effectively contain exudates, the articles must provide a snug fit around the waist and legs of the wearer. Conventional diapers generally contain a front and a rear waist section that are releasably connected by a fastening means. Application of a conventional diaper is usually performed by a caregiver with a wearer in a supine position. Such diapers allow for easy application by the caregiver but prohibit self-application by the wearer.
Disposable pull-on garments were developed, in part, to address the problem of self-application or removal. Pull-ons effectively contain exudates while allowing self-application or removal. Such garments include a waist opening, two leg openings, and a pair of side seams that are prejoined thus connecting the front and rear portions of the garment. The chassis of these garments comprises a liquid pervious bodyside liner, a liquid impervious outer cover, and an absorbent core therebetween. An additional benefit of pull-ons is that they serve as an intermediary between conventional diaper use and full toilet training. The pull-on is intended for use when a child has reached an age where he or she is ready to graduate to an underpant type garment as a replacement for disposable diapers. The pull-on provides a milestone for an infant who is developing independence from the caregiver. A suitable pull-on, however, must still provide liquid and solid absorbency while preventing waste leakage. To achieve the purpose of being a replacement for conventional diapers, a pull-on must allow the child to raise and lower the garment without the aid of a parent.
Unfortunately, current pull-on garments are not designed with child application in mind. Pull-ons are packaged in a compressed form to minimize the packaged product space, which optimizes storage and shipping costs. In its compressed state, a pull-on must be unfurled and expanded prior to application. This compression is further exacerbated by the inclusion of elastomeric material that allows the article to provide a snug fit and to contain body exudates. The inclusion of elastomeric materials requires expansion of the article prior to application. A toilet training infant, however, does not have the dexterity, strength, or coordination to fully expand the pull-on prior to application. As a result, the pull-on fails because an infant is unable to open and apply the pull-on. The impact being that the child is unable to raise or lower the pull-on without parental assistance. Even if the pull-on is opened by the child, it may be applied incorrectly such that it is not snug against the wearer's body and is improperly positioned to accept waste.
A further deficiency in current pull-on design is that it offers no grasp point optimized for an infant's hands. Parents have sufficient finger strength to apply the training pant onto a child by pinching the training pant between thumb and fingers and pulling the pant up and over the child's hips. Infants, however, do not have such finger dexterity, strength, or coordination to grasp and pull the pant up and over their own hips. When attempting to self-apply a pull-on, the infant is often either unable to apply the pant or the pant is not pulled high enough onto the infant's waist to provide effective waste absorption and control. Again, the pull-on fails because the child is unable to raise or lower the pull-on without parental assistance.
Furthermore, current pull-ons provide no grasp point for caregivers to perform a finishing adjustment. This finishing adjustment, or “finish,” refers to a final adjustment of the absorbent article to ensure a proper and snug fit. Often, the finish is performed by the caregiver to ensure that the infant has applied the pull-on correctly. Infants often have problems drawing the waistband of the pull-on up and over their buttocks and need the assistance of a caregiver. In such a case, the caregiver has difficulty grasping the pull-on which may have been twisted or bunched by the infant. Furthermore, grasping a partially applied pull-on often leads to uncomfortable chafing, binding, and pinching of the infant.
Therefore, in light of the prior attempts to develop a pull-on, the present invention relates to a pull-on garment having a handle to aid in the application of the garment by either a wearer or a caregiver.